The Oakland Garden Amusement Park was established in the early 1880s, showing up on the 1884 atlas. Although Franklin Park opened in 1883, not all the land for the park had been acquired by that time, and the park was not completed for several years. Therefore the success of Oakland Garden Amusement Park must have resulted partly from its proximity to Franklin Park, offering additional attractions for visitors to Franklin Park.

The park shows up in the 1889 atlas, but by 1894, the land has been subdivided for residential development.

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The amusement park was bounded by Columbia Road and Erie Avenue (now Street) and the back property lines of houses on Seaver Street and Michigan Avenue.

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Evening performances included mini-theatricals, operettas and concerts, while circuses and sideshows amused local children during the day. So popular were the attractions of Oakland Garden that horse-drawn cars were chartered from the Highland Railway.

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Thus "if you wish to spend a pleasant evening," all you had to do was purchase a ticket. Large numbers of visitors not only took the cars but walked from miles around.

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here.Created: November 3, 2013 Modified: November 3, 2013